Running during the holidays

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

Thanksgiving is just two weeks away. Stores already have their Christmas products out. It’s the holiday season, a great time of the year but also a time of the year when keeping your running on track can be a challenge.

With travel, family events, and plenty of tasty but not necessarily healthy food, how do we keep our running on track so we can hit the new year ready to run strong?

I have a few practices I use to keep my running on track during the holidays.

Always take your gear with

Even if you’re not expecting to have a chance to run, take your gear with. An opportunity may present itself.

Plan to run early

As I’ve gotten older and had more responsibilities, I’ve found that the earlier in the day I plan to run, the better chance I have of getting the run in. The later in the day you plan to run, the more opportunity there is for your plan to get derailed.

Be flexible

While you should plan to run early in the day, don’t tie yourself down. Maybe a family breakfast will happen, maybe you have to hang around on Christmas morning until the kids open their presents. Whatever the case, be flexible both in the time of the day you run and in how much time you need.

Don’t be hard on yourself

It is the holidays. It’s a special time of the year. You might be seeing family you only see once a year. There are special events going on that only happen once a year. You have running every day. If you miss one run, it’s not the end of the world. Just get back on track as soon as possible and figure the once a year experience is worth it.